Lakes are defined as large areas of water bodies that occupy the hollows of the Earth’s surface, are surrounded by land, and are not connected to the seas except by rivers or streams. Lakes can be formed due to various factors such as Earth’s movement, glaciation, volcanic activity, erosion, deposition, and human and biological activities.

The lakes formed due to Earth’s movements are as follows:

• Tectonic lakes:
  • These lakes are formed when depressions in the Earth’s surface occur due to the sagging, warping, bending and fracturing of the Earth’s crust.
  • Some examples of such lakes are Lake Titicaca in the Andes, Caspian Sea, Baikal Lake, Sea of Aral, and Wular Lake in India.
• Rift Valley lakes:

• • Due to the faults in the Earth’s crust, rift valleys are formed by the sinking of land between two parallel faults.
  • Examples of such lakes are the East African Rift Valley Lake extending from Zambia in Africa to Jordan in the Middle- East, Tanganyika, Malawi, Rudolf, Albert, Dead Sea, etc.

Human life is closely linked to the water bodies, and lakes are no different. They not only play a crucial role in the economic, social, and cultural life of people but are also a key link in our ecological system. Economic significance of lakes

• Means of communication: They are a cheap and convenient mode of transportation for bulk and heavy materials such as iron, coal, cement, etc. For example, the Great Lakes of North America and St. Lawrence waterways are used as the chief arteries of commerce.
• Industrial development: The development of all sectors is greatly influenced by the proximity to the lakes. For instance, the HOMES Districts in the USA near the Great Lakes, Wuhan in China near Lakes Poyang, etc.
• Water storage: They are used as water storage for the supply of water for human consumption and industrial purposes. For example, Lake Thirlmere supplies water to Manchester, Okhla Reservoir supplies water to Delhi, etc.
• Hydroelectric power generation: Lakes are a great source of water for clean and cheap hydel power generation. For example, Lake Erie and Lake Ontario in North America, Abu Bakar Dam in Malaysia, and Bhakra Nangal in India.
• Source of minerals: Lakes are a source of minerals such as common salts, rock salt, gypsum, Borax, etc., and have led to the development of chemical industries around them.

Ecological significance of lakes:

• Nutrient cycling: Lakes play a critical role in nutrient cycling through water, carbon, and nitrogen cycles.
• Regulation of water levels: During periods of heavy rainfall, lakes absorb the excess water and thus prevent flooding, while during the lean seasons, they release water to the rivers and maintain a steady flow. This ensures ecological flow and helps maintain the fragile ecosystem of rivers and related water bodies.
• Moderation of climate: Differential heating of deep and large water bodies helps moderate the climate of the surrounding regions. It also creates a conducive environment for rainfall.
• Conservation of species: Lakes play a critical role in conserving the ecosystem and its diversity by providing life-sustaining conditions for a range of species. For example, Chilika Lake and Bhitarkanika Lake in India.

Lakes all over the world are facing threats due to climatic and anthropogenic factors. A plan to protect lakes encompassing local bodies, local population, and national and state level agencies focusing on the conservation and rejuvenation of lakes is the need of the hour.

The British had come to India with the idea of making immense commercial profits. The fine qualities of cotton and silk produced in India had a big market in Europe. Pepper, cloves, cardamom and cinnamon too were in great demand. They, therefore, engaged in fierce battles to get hold of the territories, since colonies would yield higher profits for them. Apart from the commercial and territorial interests, they also felt that they had a cultural mission to “civilise the natives”. The British felt that Western ideals were ‘superior’, discounting India’s own rich traditions and that it was their moral responsibility of the superior to uplift and civilize the inferior.

This notion was exhibited in their following imperialist strategies: Education Policy:

• Anti-orientalism in education: From the early nineteenth century, many British officials criticised Orientalist studies as full of errors and unscientific thought.
• Macaulay’s minute: Macaulay emphasised the need to teach the English language as a way of civilising people, changing their tastes, values and culture.
  • Following Macaulay’s minute, the English Education Act of 1835 was introduced which made English the medium of instruction for higher education, and stopped the promotion of Oriental institutions like the Calcutta Madrasa and Benaras Sanskrit College which were seen by them as “temples of darkness that were falling themselves into decay”.
• Wood’s Despatch:
  • It argued that the literature of the East could not instil in people a sense of duty and a commitment to work, nor could it develop the skills required for administration.
  • It argued that European learning would improve the moral character of Indians and thus supply the Company with civil servants who could be trusted and depended upon.

Social and Cultural Policies:

• Shift in the attitude of the British: Initially, the cultural, educational and social policy was inspired by the ideology of British Orientalism.
  • There were elements of political pragmatism and orientalist conceptions in British policy. They viewed native social practices sympathetically even when they differed from Western norms.
  • However, the attitude and policies of the British slowly but progressively moved in the direction of cautiously intervening in the Indian social institutions. Orientalism came to be criticized by a variety of ideological streams which shared the belief that Indian society needed urgent modernization and westernization.
  • For instance, in the nineteenth century Nayar matrilineal inheritance came to be viewed as ‘unnatural’ and Nayar female polyandry was condemned as ‘concubinage’ and ‘immoral’.
• Evangelical challenge: The Evangelical challenge led by William Wilberforce and Charles Grant asserted that Hinduism was based on superstition, idolatry and the tyranny of the priests. Their avowed objectives were to modernize Indians by Christian missionary proselytization.

The British intervention in social life led to elimination of some of the most inhuman social practices like sati, female Infanticide, slavery etc. through legislation. However, the modernisation sought to be achieved was mainly guided by their economic interest and superiority complex. Although the British talked about introducing reforms, in reality very few half-hearted measures were taken. Pragmatic considerations of not provoking wide scale resentment and revolt acted as severe constraint in the wholesale application of Western ideals on India.